Camera control methods such as pan, tilt and/or zoom control are known in the art. These different camera control methods may be used in order to train the field of view of a camera onto a target, for example, to put the target under surveillance. It is common for cameras to be delivered to a target location, for example, in order to monitor a mission in progress. For example, it may be important while combatting a forest fire to monitor the progress of fire fighters in areas where other forms of direct communication may be difficult. These cameras may be delivered to a target location, for example, by way of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). UAVs are typically piloted to the target area by line-of-sight or by first person view. However, use of a UAV to direct a camera to a target requires a pilot trained in flying UAVs. Additionally, while preprogramming a desired target location into a UAV is known, in a disaster situation such GPS coordinates may not be readily available. This presents a problem in monitoring the ongoing progress of responding to a natural disaster or monitoring another situation in that a trained UAV pilot is required to fly with now pre-known GPS coordinates.
Another concern in the use of UAVs to deliver cameras to a targeted area for surveillance is that a targeted area may change, for example in a scenario where UAVs are dispatched with cameras to monitor a forest fire, by the time the UAV reaches the target area the fire may be quelled in that area or a hot spot may have broken out elsewhere, requiring a pilot of the UAV or a programmer of the path of UAV to change the path to reflect the change in conditions.
The discussion above is merely to provide for general background information, and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.